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I like a lot of what you're doing!

One thing I've noticed, though, is that a lot of the interviews are starting to run together. There hasn't really been one that's stood out for me lately--it seems like a lot of "networking is good, but writing is the most important thing." Perhaps to vary it, you could do some posts on very neat/interesting/unique ways to market books. New ideas, or interviews from people who have done new things.

great feedback beth - any topics you are interested in that you have heard about.

Shelli, I love coming to see what you've got, because it's pretty lively. I enjoy and learn from the marketing advice. So many of the interviewees have at least one surprise among their tips or a fresh approach, and it's really nice how they will respond to questions. And when you do personal posts, they can be a hoot. So count me satisfied.

I like the marketing interviews, but my favorite posts have been the ones about you. Your post about being a good mother and the New Year's revolutions are two that stick out in my mind. Those, I love. I think you as a person are kind, thoughtful and funny, and those are the posts that keep me coming back.
Thanks for the fun and informative and personable blog!

Shelli,
I think you maintain a good blend on your blog. I usually don't read the roundup, but that's because I follow a lot of the same people you do, and I'm pretty caught up.

I always love your personal posts. They have me rolling by the end. :)

Just wanted to add: I second what Beth said. I'd love to see a "quick, fresh marketing tip" feature.

I think you've got a good thing going here, Shelli. You play to your strengths with marketing advice, having interviews, giveaways, and you insert just the right amount of personal life to make your readers feel like they know you as a friend.

I would only say to evaluate your interview questions and make sure they are as strong and to the point as they can be. They are the right length and often the answers are perfect, but sometimes I think your interviewees use their own interpretations when answering what you are asking.

Regardless, your blog is wonderful! Thanks for always taking the time to keep it up!

LOVE the interviews. (Fun to see different perspectives)

LOVE the balance of the personal vs marketing. (I want to know you AND your wisdom)

ENJOY the roundups.

WOULD LIKE to see more about marketing on my blog. I get irritated if that's ALL someone's blog is about (promoting their book) but I love knowing about their work if I'm invested in THEM. So what's the balance and what should absolutely be on a writer's blog? How do we generate a following? (You may have covered these before...) Oh! And a search engine/gadget to find past interviews and/or subjects on your site.

Hope this helps. I really enjoy your website.

I love the topics you cover in your blog. I am especially fond of the agent interviews. I've found each and every one to be helpful. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us all.

I'm too new to your blog to really be a good judge, but I've enjoyed what I've read so far and have found it very helpful. :)

I love everything you do, and I think you have a good balance between personal and marketing info.

I do second what Beth said, though, about the quick marketing tips. I'd love to see a little more of that too.

Thanks for all you do, Shelli. There's a reason you have 422 followers - we like what you do! :-)

Hi Shelli - I found your blog relatively recently and love it.

As an aspiring writer who isn't so adept at the marketing thing, I'd love to see as much as possible on practical marketing tips for writers. Thanks for all you do!

I really appreciate the Monday interview. It's a great way to get insider information from people I admire.

I still have a lot to learn, so anything you want to give is helpful to me.

I love the interviews, an insiders point of view is always interesting.

I really enjoy the balance of personal versus marketing tips. I guess more interviews with authors that have found success marketing their books - other than terrific writing. How about writing tips from you that you've learned along the way. (That's kind of marketing)

Thanks for all you do!

I'm mostly a lurker on your blog, trying to take in as much information as I can so that I am ready when book release day rolls around. I've learned a lot so far, and don't really have any suggestions for improvement. My own personal interest (because I write YA) is the best way to reach the teen market, which I think is a lot different than the methods used for reaching the adult market, but that's just my own personal interest. You're doing a great job. Please keep up the great work!

I find the interviews to be helpful and powerful. You have always given great tips, I can't wait to see what you have for us in 2010!

I love (love love) the interviews. I bookmark them all. Same with the roundups. You find links I don't sometimes. I like the mix of personal and professional.

I'd like to see something along the lines of "Marketing for the Overwhelmed" or something like that. You know, quick things we can do for people with a day job, kids, writing, husbands, errands, grocery shopping, family, etc. I want to spend my marketing minutes in the very best way. You know what I mean?

I like what Elana said above, the Marketing for the Overwhelmed! Great idea!!!!!
Other than that, Shelli, I really think you have a fabulous blog. I like that you switch it up with personal stuff, your own publishing goals, the interviews, and marketing tips.
You are a great resource, but also entertaining!

Shelli,

I love it just the way it is! Perfect balance.

I guess if I had to make a suggestion, it would be to give more specific suggestions to authors on how to market their book. I know you've done tons of posts, but I just have trouble applying general stuff to my own picture book. I know I need to do social networking, yada yada. (I blog, tweet, facebook, etc.) But I am not actually selling many books!

For me...it's all good. It's extremely rare when I don't learn something from a post of yours - and that includes the more personal ones.

Don't change a thing! I don't know enough to request anything special, so I'll pass my suggestion on to the next person. :)

Ditto Elana :)

I think some of the most memorable blogs for me have been personal, but I love the marketing advice too because you obviously know what you're talking about.

Keep it up!

Ooo! I'd love to be part of the drawing. :)

500 followers! Wow. You're pretty close!

I find the round-ups and interviews most useful. I agree that the q's could be more varied for different people. There is a slant toward marketing for ya, but that's where you live so, I say, stick with it.
Maybe more process on brass tacks marketing -- bookmark design, script writing, working with images from the publisher, etc.
Keep it up!

I really find the interviews and links helpful. I'm at the point of having several things to submit, but deciding who to send them to can be a nail biting experience...Your posts help. :)

LOVE Alissa's suggestion about reaching out to teens. Totally different audience and I have no idea where to even begin...

Wow guys thanks for all the great feedback! I really appreciate you taking the time to provide some.

I'm new to your blog too and am finding it really helpful. Elana's suggestion of posting tips for marketing for the overwhelmed would help me a lot. Like many, I have a demanding full-time job and thinking of getting published and marketing on top of squeezing in time to write seems like almost more than I can handle. Knowing the best, quick ways to spend our time would be great.

I love the personal touch - where we get to know each other through cyberspace. I like hearing some of your challenges, goals and successes. It makes reading fun.

Clever writing, Cate. You got my vote.

Thanks, KC.

Vote logged. ;)

Thanks, Aaron. :D

You know you have my vote!

My pleasure : )

Will go right over. :-D

Thanks, girls :D

I remember reading that a while back and quite enjoying it. Good luck.

P.S. - You got my vote.

I voted. And I jumped up and down and cheered you on, just in case it might help.

Thanks, Rabid.

Thanks, Carrie. I believe they do take extra bounce into account. :D

Voted. Good luck!

I definitely enjoyed your blogoversary, though I don't know where you found the time. :) If you have any more lying around (time, that is), feel free to send it my way. My favorite bits were the author guest posts and interviews, though they did get a bit crowded at the end. I'd love to see a feature once a month, too. Really, great job!

You did an amazing job!! I don't how you did it all but it was a great celebration. I didn't get here as much as I wanted to and didn't comment as much as I wanted to but I was still reading your posts. I loved the Book Cover and First Line contests. They were so fun! I hope you're going to post the correct answers eventually.

This was such an enjoyable month and I hope you had a good time too. Thanks for all of your hard work! :)

Celi.a, as far as when I found time, I don't know if you remember, but I didn't blog for like half of August. That's when I was working on everything. :-)

That and lots and lots and lots of late nights after work was over.

Hi :)
I like you site a lot.
You did a great job on the blog anniversary.
All the best,
RKCharron
xoxo

Interesting survey. I tend to use Times New Roman size 12 as well, although when I was younger I absolutely hated it; I was one of those ‘arty scripty fonts are where it’s at’ and only used Tempus Sans.

Now, anything other than Times New Roman bothers me. Courier is alright, though, and Garamond occasionally.

Honestly – I’m not a font nerd!

Oh, I was TOLD from On High that I must NEVER use anything but a 12 pt. Times New Roman for professional writing. I chafed at that at first — growing up with a Mac meant I had way too much fun doodling around with colored fonts, but eventually I went PC and got over it.

I’m such a font nerd that I can identify fonts used on vehicles — I point to the bakery truck, and say, “Huh. Papyrus. Shouldn’t they have used Chick or something a bit thicker, so it could be visible from a ways back?”

I’m a BIG OLD font nerd, except on manuscripts.

Haha. The cartoon is funny.
I actually love playing with fonts, but I prefer fonts that are sans serif like Arial. The extra bits on the letters are distracting to me. Then I read on the purple crayon website, that the serifs are supposed to draw the eye forward and make reading easier. *sigh*
I use Times New Roman or Courier when I am writing, but still play around when it’s just for me. Papyrus is really pretty.

I’ve always been under the impression that it’s most proper to use Courier New 12-pt. to submit work in, so that’s what I generally use. For my latest novel attempt, I’m putting it in Times New Roman 10-pt. to save paper when I print it out, but after that I’ll convert it to Courier New 12-pt.

When it doesn’t come to writing for publication, I’d be the one mocked in the comic. I enjoy Comic Sans!

This post is a good reminder that I should be thinking more about typefaces as art. For drafts, I use the default Times New Roman in Word. I use Garamond and Minion on my professional stationery, but will probably change that up soon.

After hearing of the font nerds, I can imagine ANYTHING in the world.

I’ve been staying with the good old Times New Roman 12-pt for a long time, and don’t use capitals – althought it’s not the right behaviour of a future Literature teacher, but still it’s easier, faster, and classy (don’t ask me why, but I think it is). Anyway, I don’t mind which font I use, almost always the one that’s automatically pogrammed…

Am I the only one who uses Century Gothic? It’s more rounded than Arial (which always makes me feel like I’m on a webpage) and isn’t distracting. For formal writing, though, it’s all Times New Roman.

True confession: As a graphic designer, I am a serious font nerd. I have been at that table, and I have talked fonts for hours. Fonts, like people, have character and history, and can express a wide range of emotions and convey many different feelings. So I saw myself in your cartoon. Fortunately, I can laugh at myself so I was not offended, but who will stand up and defend the font nerds? What about our rights and respect? Are we to be exploited like the Cavemen in GEICO commercials? Woe is me…

I read a ton of manga, and I own a lot too. I'm thinking of reviewing them on my blog, but I'm not too sure if I should. I don't know if I'd be able to review them well. I love manga though. I don't read much other graphic novels though. I think the drawings can really make a story so much better- but then again, if the artwork is terrible, I won't read it, even if it's good.

- Alex

I'm really interested in reading more graphic novels. I've only read a few and they are usually tie-ins to novels. It's so nice to have illustrations and artwork that goes along with the story world that I'm already familliar with. I'm planning on reading some stand alone graphic novels and I'd be interested in seeing some more reviews from you. I hope to become more familar with GCs.

I think you should go for it. I love reading graphic novels and appreciate them even more after taking an English course on them. I think it would be great if more people were actually reading them.

Kristin

I haven't read any but I'm not opposed to it.

I forget who wrote them but I LOVED The New Policeman, Little Fearless, and Gideon the Cutpurse. (Although I have yet to read the sequel.)

I think that color would impede battery life, so I voted no.

That’s interesting, Jen; I hadn’t thought of that!

Though the Flepia by Fijitsu has 40 hours of continuous use–that seems pretty good to me (though you’re right, not as good as black-and-white). It also has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 4 GB of storage (on a SD card), and has a touch screen. If those features were available affordably, I’d buy it….

That's a really cool idea!!

I totally agree.

Hey!

Just "voted" on the poll if you will. I also wanted to let you know that I sent an email out to a few people (you included) so read it as soon as you can, please. thanks!!!

-lauren

I'd love it if the giveaways were open to international readers! :)

MORE ARCS!!!!! MORE BOOKS!!!

I don't know. Something is just a little wrong with a legislator hosting a poll on his own performance and his colleagues. I don't know enough about polls but wouldn't one think that since he created it and is administering it he can manipulate it? I mean as the time goes by and the "f" grades in his column accumulate at what point will he go into the backside of the survey and do a little "fixing".

Joe is very ego sensitive. That being the case there is a good chance he will not sit by and watch his scores of Fs continue to pile up --- as they should.

Don't get me completely wrong. I think the guys and gals up there should be graded but perhaps on a less biased site.

Perhaps you can host a survey here.

I don't know. Many businesses solicit consumer feedback. And I think most politicians are so out of touch with the voting public, and are so egotistical, that it wouldn't occur to them that the grades will be really awful.

I hope Joe wouldn't succumb to tampering with the votes. I think he'd be more likely to take the poll down.

But perhaps we need to take some screen shots of the results fairly often. Just in case.

A naked letter grade doesn't really tell a legislator anything.

For example, I would be inclined to give the entire legislature an F for not doing anything to oppose federalization, and Tina an F-minus for actively supporting it.

But if they only see the F, without knowing the reason for it, what are they to conclude?

We disagree, Cactus, on federalization. But I see the problem, too, with simple letter grades.

Still, there's some perverse pleasure to be had in participating in the poll. It's a small bit of feedback we get to give, whether taken seriously or not, whether particularly helpful as a guide to future behavior or not.

::rolling on floor::
Ducklings: Make Way or Not?

I need to finish my novel so I can be funny and clever again -- I almost said "like you," but that would be asking for a lot.

The hardest part of answering the "Do you like me" note from junior high was... I didn't know who it was from or who to return it to or how! It showed up in my locker one morning and all day I'm like a blind man in a round room looking for a corner.

Since our answers are rarely that black-and-white I guess my only response is "Yes and No and Maybe," whoever you are.

Turning the titles into questions totally gets to their themes. (Well, maybe not for the ducks; definitely for Octavian, though.) WHY didn't I figure this out in college?

The thing is, I start with a Big Question (or more likely, a Big What If) and then start hanging tiny scraps of weird memories onto it as I go. I'm a bit of a collage artist that way, making and re-visioning new things from bits and pieces.

I've always hated those memory-writing exercises because I rarely can recall them on the spot. And in workshops where I hear person after person dredging up deep, emotional memories from the slightest wisp of a prompt I feel a little stupid for not being able to access anything remotely relevant on demand.

But I do have memories, and stories so weird that I know I'm going to have to incorporate them into my fiction sooner or later. They just aren't what jump-starts the ol' motor.

Big Questions. Definitely. And then, I call on the juicy memories for the story details.

I don't like writing about the past, and frankly, I don't remember what my bedroom looked like as child, or what I wore on the first day of high school. I would much rather think about the whys in life. It's so much more fun.

See? You're not alone!

Combination for me. Writing as an attempt to answer the big questions with selective memory/personal experience.

Memories, for the fiction writer, are tricky -- and sometimes a trap, because you get bogged down trying to recreate something which is, at best, ephemeral, and at worst, completely artificial. I prefer big questions augmented by juicy memories -- completely altered.

:D That was helpful, I'm sure.

Count me among those for whom Big Picture questions and memories have a hand-in-glove relationship.

In answering the Big Picture questions, I like using my personal stories/memories to help illustrate my answers.

I guess I should've added a third choice to my poll: BOTH! (Although which one triggers the writing response is what I was truly asking.)

I have to admit that I do use memories once I'm off and running. In this latest book, I've used something that my geometry teacher said to me over twenty years ago. (!)

Maybe those who read my blog are more inclined to be interested in the same things I am. Or the memory people haven't voted yet.

Or I'm not odd. That's good, too.

May I vote, even if I'm not an author?

BIG QUESTIONS all the way.

Seriously? Not even close. Big questions. I mean, okay, that's partly 'cause I can't remember anything. But really. I'm with you all the way...

Well, I was chewing on that conversation also...you know, all memories are reconstructive narratives, to some extent. So maybe what's interesting is the Big Question: Why do I remember my story in that particular way?

Not surprisingly, I turn out to be an odd ball.

Give me a Big Question any day....but I might be influeced by what I write.

When I was dabbling in YA, Juicy Memories brought out the rawest material, and my most compelling prose.

But as a Picture Book writer, I don't try to remember what it was like to be a kid and capture that on paper. Rather, I try to think like a kid and as a kid-thinker I often find myself asking Big Questions. Because truth be told, kids ask the best, most interesting, least self-critiqued Big Questions.

Great work! I like it :)

Now which on is going to get a nibble... the string or the tail? What a cute lazy, ole lion!

This is very clever! I like the way you illustrated the string.

I love the lion's pose. Very interesting and unique take on the theme. Great job!

Sleepin' on the job! Great turn of the paw :)

What a lovely benign looking Lion!

So adventurous! Nice to come back again and see your lovely illustrations.

You and your work are AMAZING! JUST AMAZING!

Oh ginger!! this is SO adorable! My new favorite. The look of contentment on the lions face is pricless!

I love your lions! This one has a great pose and expression, and the colors are wonderful!

I voted on your poll: i have both picture books and adult fiction on our shelves. I've been having so much fun adding to my collection of picture books, pretty soon they'll outnumber everything else! :-)

Your lion is wonderfully relaxing and cheerful making.

Clever lion trying to catch some fish, but watch out your tail, lion!
The lion looks so relax, I like how you draw his hair!

I simply loved it!

i love the color.
on my bookshelves are artbooks, cookbooks, fiction etc.

how fun… the lion looks so happy… i wonder… which one of those goldfish had the courage to tie that string on the lion's paw and will the same one get to pull first?

Ginger the kids reading the books is one of my favorite of your illustrations. Love those kids on the hand!!

Great illustration!

i love the way you flattened his face in that relaxed pose :) Amazing works Ginger! The perspective and imagery of the bottom piece is awesome too!

love that lazy lion on the rock he look sooo relaxed. And the one below is wonderful. wanted to say also liked all the action scenes in your winston series.
nicely done

great work - all very mysterious!

I'm not a super!fan of the series, but I liked Breaking Dawn. (And I was totally expecting to dislike it, so I was pleasantly surprised.) There were a lot of twists and turns, things I did NOT expect to happen, but for me that was a good thing. One of the characters has the Most Annoying Name in the History of Names, but other than that... I give it a thumbs up.

The book is incredible. My absolute favorite of the four by far. Unfortunately I cant say the same about the last 30 or so pages. I HATED the ending. Why is everyone so afraid of a little tragedy. the ending was such a cop out. It could have been such a masterpiece; the next Romeo and Juliet. Everything is resolved in a matter of sentences and all the climactic build up just dissolves. Very dissapointing ending in my opinion.

Hey Sarah,
My friend and I started a blog (http://summerofvampires.wordpress.com/) in response to all the vampiric action. I'm certainly a superfan of Vampire Books and I've liked Books 1,2, & 3.
As for Breaking Dawn, there are certainly sections where I find myself rolling my eyes. And considering I was at the midnight release party with a bunch of tweens/teens and haven't yet finished reading the book... well, that says something.

Hello Sarah and all you lovely readers of this blog . . . I'm looking for recommendations for books to purchase for my nieces between 8-12 years old. I usually get my books from the library, but when it comes to purchasing books I go blank on things I've liked in the past. My nieces do read well, but they are not *huge* readers and sometimes need encouragement. I'm the aunt who gives books for gifts! THANK YOU!
Kimberley

8-12 is a pretty wide range for reading levels --can you give us some narrower specifics?

Off the top of my head, CLEMENTINE, by Sara Pennypacker, is one of my favorites for 8- and 9-year olds.

I've read all four books, first as a librarian, then as a girl enjoying the story. I think the reason so many fans are up in arms is that it's no longer YA. The "kid appeal" is gone, replaced by marriage and motherhood. (Though, in my opinion, 6th graders should not have been reading the series in the first place.)

Even as a 21-year-old, Breaking Dawn broke up my enthusiasm for the series. There's a lot of moral elements to deal with in Meyer's saga:

How valuable is an eternal soul? Worth trading in for Edward Cullen?

Be open and accepting of what looks like evil, because once you get to know it, it's not so bad.

Etc.

Duh on me. My one niece is 8 going on 9 and the other just turned 12 and is in 6th grade.
And see, I forgot about CLEMENTINE! I loved those books! Thanks, Sarah! And of course, your book about Annie Sullivan is terrific, too. When I was 11-12 I read everything about Helen Keller and Annie I could get my hands on.

I have no desire to read it. I read the first three. That was more than enough.

Kimberly: The Fairy Rebel by Lynne Reid Banks. It's a must-have for that age range, especially for mothers and daughters.

Kimberly: I hit "published your comment" too quickly! The Fairy Rebel would be for the younger munchkin, along with Ramona Quimby, Age 8 and, for classics, the Anne of Green Gables series. For the older girl, Sixth Grade Secrets by Louis Sachar, Shug by Jenny Han, and Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli.

Thank you so much for the recommendations, Little Willow! "The Fairy Rebel" sounds great. I can't believe I've never heard of it before.
Off to a bookstore to finish my purchases!
Thanks again,
K.

FAIRY REBEL was one of my favorites at that age, too.

I really disliked it to be honest. As my friends and I were discussing, it felt like major fan fiction. And there wasn't even a real plot until very close to the end. And THEN, as someone pointed out in an earlier comment, all the potential and build up it had just deflated and everyone went on their happy little ways. Blah...I think the second one was my favorite. She had to do something for herself for a change.